This invention relates an electronic musical instrument having switches for selecting and setting tone control information such as tone color, tone volume and effects.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,294, an electronic musical instrument is disclosed in which selection can be made between a first mode in which a tone color which is preassigned to a switch called a white switch and therefore is proper to this switch can be selected by operating the white switch and a second mode in which any desired tone color can be assigned to the white switch and the desired tone color assigned to this switch can be selected by operating the switch whereby this switch is provided with double functions. In this electronic musical instrument, selection of the mode is made by operating a switch called a multi-menu switch.
It has also been conceived in the past to suitably set and select a parameter corresponding to tone control information by a manual operator or to preset such parameter and merely select the preset parameter without troublesome operation of a setting operator. In this case, it is common to provide the parameter setting manual operator and the preset selection means separately.
Known also in the art is a device for displaying a tone control parameter by a display screen to confirm selected data and selecting a parameter according to the display. In the prior art device, when a display screen is changed by operation of a switch or the like, the screen is changed without exception and it is not possible to prohibit change of the screen when necessary.
Since in the prior art device, a switch for selecting a mode (i.e., selecting a function) in addition to a switch having double function, there is not much room for reducing the number of switches and, accordingly, improvements are desired in the space for arranging switches, manufacturing cost and operability.
Further, the automatic change in the display screen in the prior art device is inconvenient when, in or setting tone control information, it is desired to maintain a previous display screen notwithstanding selection or setting of tone control information. The prior art device therefore lacks operability and flexibility in this respect.